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HERAT CITY (SW): The Directorate for Petroleum and Mines in Herat province has noted a staggering 50 per cent fall in its revenue collection.
Abdul Jalil Ilyas, deputy director for the Directorate of Petroleum and Mines, told journalist in Kabul on Monday that lack of markets has been the main factor behind the fall in revenue collection. He said a variety of raw marble stones used to be exported to Iran and Pakistan in the past, but since the President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has imposed a ban on the export of raw marble, the department’s revenue has been dwindling.
Ilyas lamented no headway is in sight regarding the President’s pledges for establishing indigenous marble processing industry. He expressed hope that the local marble processing factories would be established in summer this year, and finished marble products from the province would find way to international markets.
Jailani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor, has assured support to the Directorate of Petroleum and Mines in this regard. According to the official figures, this sector was earning more than hundred million afghanis in the past few years, but last year the revenue fell below fifty million afghanis.
ENDS
